Attackers attack and kill 11 police officers in eastern Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades ambushed a police convoy in the eastern Punjab province on Thursday, killing at least 11 police officers and wounding seven others, authorities said.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Rahim Yar Khan district. The officers were ambushed while patrolling a deserted area to find robbers operating in the region.

Punjabi police said the shooters were likely robbers and not militants. The victims were taken to a nearby hospital.

Pakistan has seen an increase in violence and insurgent attacks in recent years, but such a high number of police casualties in a single attack is rare.

In Punjab and southern Sindh province, security forces frequently carry out operations against bandits hiding in rural forest areas who have killed several police officers in attacks in recent months.

Thursday's attack took place in the Kacha area of ​​Rahim Yar Khan's district, known for its bandit hideouts along the Indus, where hundreds of heavily armed bandits evade police.

Police said one of the police vehicles apparently broke down while driving through accumulated rainwater along agricultural fields when dozens of bandits launched the attack. Pakistan is hit by monsoon rains since July.

Authorities swiftly condemned the attack in Kacha, one of the deadliest on police in recent years. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued statements condemning the attack, expressing regret and describing the killed officers as martyrs.

The police were ordered to take immediate action against the attackers and Sharif demanded that the injured officers be given the best possible medical care.

The previous Thursday, Gunmen opened fire on a school bus in PunjabTwo children were killed and six others injured, police said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan, contributed to this report.